Learning to be Me
by The Bride of constant Vigil
Summary: After spending all of their life suppressed by one entity or another, it is now time for our two antagonists to try and live their own lives. But, now they need to rediscover just who they are, and decipher who they are as a person. However, once someone has controlled you the way these two have been controlled, it is a lot harder to come to terms with who you really are. MxR
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

**So, here is another post-cannon angstshipping story from me. Of course, this isn't my main one. Regardless, this one will still be posted.**

**This is a story in which the characters explore themselves, and try to find who they are after their yamis are gone.**

"This is…new." Ryou mutters, staring at the bed he is currently lying on. Next to him rested Marik, not the yami though, the hikari. And he is pretty sure that the two of them are completely naked, but how had they gotten like this?

"Mmf," Marik groans, turning over in the bed and wrapping an arm around Ryou. The small boy groans and starts wiggling under the covers to the point in which his body is once again pressed up against Ryou's. Another tan arm then shoots out and wraps around Ryou's waist, pulling the smaller teen closer to him.

"Marik, Marik, wake up." Ryou whines, gently nudging Marik's chest, trying to wake the sleeping teen. This is definitely one of their more awkward occurrences. The two had been friends since everything ended; in fact best friends, they had even become roommates at the college they currently attend. But based on their current position, it had seemed as though they had just had intercourse.

"Nngh," Another moan escapes Marik's lips, but this time the tanned teenager's eyes flutter open, revealing beautiful lilac orbs. Ryou blushes as Marik's eyes come to meet his, and they widen in shock.

"What the fuck!" Marik calls out, pushing Ryou onto the floor. Ryou groans from his position on the floor and sits up, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly as he glares up at Marik.

"What was that for?" Ryou hisses as he stares at his best friend.

"Well what the fuck were you doing naked in my bed?" Marik asks, pulling the covers up in order to protect his body. Ryou takes this moment to look around the room and take in the décor.

The walls are a bright red color with white crown trimming wrapping the top and bottom of the walls. There are two doors within the room, one looking like a closet door, and the other most likely leading to the bathroom. The floor is a light brown wood, and natural lighting seems to be filtering in through the white curtains.

"This isn't your room. In fact, I think we're still at Kaiba's mansion." Ryou whispers. At this, Marik also looks around the room. His thin fingers still grips the blood red covers as he tries even more so to hide his body.

"Shit, what happened last night?" Marik asks as he looks back at his best friend. The morning sun streams in and shines natural light on Ryou's pale hair and skin, exposing the many little bruises that cover his body, especially the dark purple one on his neck.

"What do you think?" Ryou snaps, not even bothering to look at his best friend. He hadn't wanted this. He had intended to stay a virgin until he was married, just like his mother had asked him to do when he was still young and his mother was still alive. Now, though, he had failed her and probably insulted his entire family by falling for his deepest temptation: accepting his sexuality. He had grown up with a Catholic background, and he had learned that it is wrong to like someone or have sexual relations with someone the same gender as himself. And even if he had strayed a bit from his Catholic roots, he still tried to hold tight to them.

"Yeish, I just wanted to be sure. What's your problem?" Marik hisses, glaring dead at Ryou. However, at this point Ryou is no longer paying attention to him. Instead, his head is in his hands, his whole body wracking as though he is sobbing.

"I can't believe I failed. He's going to kill me. I'll never make it to heaven; shit I'm gonna go to hell, and then he'll be back." Ryou mutters to himself. Marik simply stares at him, slowly removing the cover from himself and making his way out of the bed. He looks around before finding both of their clothing. He quickly pulls his on his own clothes and tosses Ryou his own.

The pale teen looks at his clothing and then pulls it on before staring at himself in the mirror, a frown quickly crossing his features. "Damn, you left a million bruises on me." Ryou whines, and at this Marik chuckles.

"Um sorry, I might have been a bit eager; it was kind of my first time." Marik replies embarrassedly, his cheeks taking on a light reddish hue.

"It was my first time too, and I wasn't nearly this bad. Was I?" Ryou asks. Marik blushes as he pulls up his shirt a bit to reveal numerous bite marks across his body.

"I guess we were both eager." Marik whispers, only to notice Ryou cringe in pain.

"What's wrong? What, is there something wrong with us having sex?" Marik asks, his voice taking on a more offensive tone. He doesn't like what Ryou is implying; so what if they have sex? He is almost a hundred percent sure that his friend is a homosexual, if anything, a bisexual.

"God doesn't want man to be with man. He made man to be with woman…" Ryou mutters, turning away from the mirror and making his way over to the door. Marik winces at this statement but silently follows his friend to the door. This is not what he wanted to do in his first college party.

"God, another one of those damn Christians; why can't you just accept that you might be gay and move on?" Marik threatens; at this Ryou winces, but then growls lowly.

Marik rolls his eyes at this and shoves his way out of the room, ignoring Ryou, who now looks like he is on the borderline of crying.

"Come on, if we leave now, hopefully no one will notice." Marik hisses as he starts stepping over sleeping bodies and random debris left from the party.

Once the two have successfully left the mansion, they start on their long trip home. The walk home is encased in an awkward silence, neither one of them really wanting to delve into the awkwardness that is their relationship.

Well, the walk was silent until Marik had to open his mouth and rekindle a dead flame. "You do realize you are gay, right?" Marik asks, and at that Ryou sighs.

"How could you assume something like that? My mother raised me to believe that men belong with women." Ryou whispers, his eyes staying downcast.

"Uh huh, and is that what you believe?" Marik asks, stopping where he stands and grabbing Ryou's arm to stop him too. He grabs Ryou's chin and makes the pale teenager look up at him. Emerald eyes meet lilac, and in that moment, a kind of understanding seems to pass between them. It's a shame that the rest of his body doesn't get that message.

"I believe what keeps my family together." Ryou replies before tearing away from Marik and hurriedly making his way back to the apartment complex that lies only a couple blocks away. Marik sighs; sure, he had been mad at Ryou at first. Now that he had time to assess their relationship, though, he's starting to believe that there's more to it than he previously thought.

Marik sighs as he turns and jogs to catch up with his friend. By then, Ryou is already in his room with the door locked. The Egyptian rolls his eyes at his friend's ridiculousness. He needed to accept his sexuality and move on, or well, move in, to Marik's room.

Marik facepalms; no, he is _not_ thinking about Ryou and repeating what happened the night before just like how he is not secretly attracted to Ryou, because that would be insane.

Marik sighs as he makes his way through the cramped apartment and to their phone. Ishizu often calls to make sure he is alright and that Ryou doesn't suddenly become Bakura and start wreaking havoc all over the place. Now, don't get him wrong. Ishizu does like Ryou; she is just kind of protective over the thought that Marik might be led down the wrong path, again.

"Hey, Ishizu, sorry for not calling last night; I was at a party." Marik says into the phone, after hitting the redial number without bothering to make sure that the number was his sister's in the first place.

"_Uh hello, I assume that you are Mr. Ishtar._" A professional voice replies through the phone line. Marik freezes, and quickly, his mind has to switch from Japanese to Arabic.

"_Yes, and I assume that you are Mr. Bakura._" Marik replies calmly, though on the inside he is frantic. He had never actually seen or heard from Ryou's father, and it is extremely rare when Ryou brings him up.

"_Yes, and as you probably assumed, I would like to speak with my son. However, I guess since you are his roommate, you should know of my intentions from now. I intend to visit Japan next week for a conference. I will most likely be visiting to check up on you, and I have a few items from your sister, also. Now, may I please speak with my son?_" Bakura Akio asks, and Marik can't help but bristle at the language he is being spoken to with; it just seems so demeaning.

"_Okay, let me give him the phone now._" Marik responds before stumbling towards Ryou's door. The Egyptian sighs, staring at the door where his friend has decided to hide himself behind. How will Ryou react to learning that his father is coming home?

"Ryou!" Marik calls out at the door. He refuses to raise his hand to knock in fear of messing up their currently frazzled relationship any further.

No response comes from the room. In fact, the room itself seems to maintain an eerie silence, or at least that is what he can tell through the door. It's not like either of them can afford a soundproof door.

"Ryou, there is someone who wants to speak to you!" Marik tries. He waits a couple of moments, and then the door slowly creaks open, as though he is in a scary movie and some strange phantom has just invited him into their house.

Marik steps forward tentatively, his heart racing in fear as to what might transpire the moment he enters into the room. Once he is fully inside, he is aware of the lit, unscented candles forming a perfect circle in the middle of the room. On the dark cherry wood, there is a chalk drawing of a circle with a little stuffed animal sitting in the center. Around the circle, different markings are drawn in the same white chalk as the circle. The entire room is dark except for the light of the candles, and a scent drifts in from a place unknown, giving the room a soporific effect.

He looks around to see Ryou sketching on the floor, skilled fingers making quick work of the symbols still being sketched onto the floor. He doesn't seem to acknowledge Marik's presence in the room; instead, his fingers move faster and faster, his movements frantic as though there is a deadline he must finish this by.

"Ryou, your father wants to speak with you." Marik whispers, slowly making his way closer to the circle of candles. Marik goes to take another step, but falters. His head starts to feel heavy on his neck. The soporific effect of the room is starting to get to him, as shown by his drooping head.

Finally, green eyes look up and meet lavender ones. However, the green ones look dull, as though all life and vigor once within them had been drained away. Small bags are starting to form beneath the pale teen's eyes, standing out greatly against the rest of his skin. The teenager is clad in all black. He wears a tight, long sleeve top and baggy sweat pants. It looks as though the teenager is wearing black eyeliner to match the rest of the outfit, though Marik can't tell in the darkness of the room.

Slowly, Ryou's confused look turns into a sneer of anger as he realizes that Marik has just intruded in a private affair.

Marik winces as he notices the feral look making its way into Ryou's eyes. Jade eyes quickly regain the fire of life and brighten to become their well-known emerald as Ryou makes his way to his feet and towards the Egyptian.

Marik takes steady steps backwards until his back hits the wall of the hallway. Ryou now stands at his doorway, staring stoically at Marik. At this moment, the hikari could pass for his darker counterpart who had been swallowed by the shadows.

"What do you want?" Ryou asks, the anger slowly draining from his face to form a more neutral expression – one which scared Marik more than his angry expression.

"Your father called and wanted to speak with you. By the way, he intends to visit you soon, so I'd-" However, Marik is quickly cut off by a squeal of happiness and a blur of black and white attacking him. Marik crashes against the wall from the momentum, but still manages to wrap his arms around Ryou's waist and enjoy the moment of closeness between the two.

Of course, the friendly moment is ruined when Marik feels two warm lips press against his cheek. The Egyptian jumps at the moment of affection from his roommate and takes a step back to stare at his best friend, whose cheeks are now a flaming red.

"Marik…I…" However, those are the only words that Ryou can stutter out before Marik pulls the boy in close and presses his lips against the soft rose ones. His hand finds its way to the pure, white hair and gently strokes it. Their two lips move in unison, as though they had done this thousands of times before. A soft moan escapes Ryou's lips and Marik takes this opportunity to slip his tongue into the other's mouth. Immediately, his tongue is met by Ryou's, whose tongue probes at the foreign object in his mouth.

After a moment, Ryou pushes himself away. Marik stares at Ryou, then the trail of saliva linking their two lips. Had Ryou not felt that warmth that spread throughout his body when they kissed? Had he not felt that instant connection between them, as though they are meant to be?

Instead, Ryou simply plucks the phone out of Marik's hand and storms back into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Fuck." Marik curses, as the strange language called English started up. Ryou and his father were speaking now, and by Ryou's angry tone, he can tell everything isn't going according to Ryou's plans.

**Author's Notes:**

**So, what do you think? I hope to have this story finished soon. It is only supposed to be five chapters, and really, the plot is more so character development and romance than anything else.**

**So, tell me what you think.**

**Also, there's a poll on my page. Can you take it? Please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

**Heyo people! Welcome back. I haven't updated this story in a long time. Well, okay, longer than I thought it would take to update it, but my editor because had summer school. So, expect later chapters to hopefully be coming out sooner.**

"So, can you guys make it?" As always, Yugi is bright and preppy, the world around him seemingly shining and radiating warmth. Or at least that is what everyone is lead to believe.

"Um, sure," Marik responds for the two of them. He then turns and raises an eyebrow in question at Ryou a silent question for confirmation. Ryou shakes his head no at Marik.

"Marik can go, but I need to check in with my father first. He claims that he's coming to visit soon." Ryou informs the other two, an expressionless look on his face. Marik rolls his eyes. Ryou always hides behind a façade now. Wouldn't it be nice if, for once, he was able to show what lay behind that mask, the mask that he had perfected while he was stuck with his yami.

"Oh really?! He's actually coming this time?" Yugi asks enthusiastically. Marik winces at the obvious implication and turns a concerned eye to Ryou. The pale teen just keeps his neutral expression, acting as though Yugi had not just insulted the relationship between Ryou and his father.

"Yeah, he wants to make sure that everything is going well and I am doing well in college." Ryou informs, his left hand nervously grabbing his right. He looks down, a small frown on his face.

"What does he think you're doing: partying, getting drunk, waking up in bed with random people?" Marik asks, purposefully staring at Ryou. Yugi slowly backs away, noticing some tension between the two, and escaping before he is engulfed in the problem.

"Shut up, Marik." Ryou hisses, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting in anger.

"Why should I? Why can't you accept who you are and the fact that you are gay?" Marik yells, ignoring the looks he is receiving from the people around the small coffee shop.

Ryou doesn't answer; instead, he simply rises from his seat and takes his leave, making sure to slam the door as he exits the shop. Marik glares at the door for a moment, before getting up and storming out of the coffee shop also, quietly following behind Ryou.

~.~

Soft grass lay beneath worn tennis shoes. The gentle breeze blows the white strands of hair about. Trees surround the boy at every angle, each of their leaves bristling in the wind. Beyond the boy's feet lays a beach of golden sand, which lays at the edge of the dark blue hued ocean.

Ryou wraps his arms around himself, his blue sweater wrapped tightly around his small frame. Emerald eyes are hidden behind pale eyelids as the teen breathes deeply, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze that encases him.

It had been so long since he had been able to relax, to enjoy the world and everything within it.

"Freedom…"

He knew the word had been hanging off of his lip for a long time, but now, it just fell out.

"Freedom is the only law which genius knows." A voice says from behind him. Ryou sighs, not even turning to acknowledge the person seated behind him.

"James Russell Lowell, cute," Ryou responds, a small smile finding its way to his lips.

"Fine, I've got a ton of deeper ones. Freedom is something very important to me." Marik whispers, and for a moment, he almost sounds distant. However, with a quick shrug of his shoulders, Marik returns to the present and takes the next couple of steps to stand beside Ryou.

"It's beautiful here." Marik then whispers, taking in the picture perfect scene before him.

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Ryou whispers.

Marik looks thoughtful for a moment before muttering, "Aristotle, so cliché."

"Yeah, I never took you for a quotes person." Ryou whispers, looking over at Marik.

"It interests me, what people think, what they say. Everyone has their own perspective. I mean, after suppressing so many minds, and having so little human interaction, I guess, all of this, it's amazing that people can think for themselves." Marik explains, looking over at Ryou. "I never took you for a Goth."

"I'm not." Ryou replies, as though it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then why did you dress in such dark colors and wear eyeliner? What were you doing anyways?" Marik asks. Ryou remains silent for a moment, his eyes still closed as if in thought.

"This is barely what I consider nature. This is such a stereotypical spot. I want to go into the real woods. See a real winter, where it is too cold to survive and everything is white. I want to see a waterfall, not the peaceful ones that one can visit either, the harsh ones that can kill you with the pointy rocks. I hate clichés." Ryou says, refusing to answer Marik's question.

The blond teen immediately takes notice of Ryou's dancing around the topic at hand and scowls. "Interesting, so, what was with all the Goth stuff?" Marik asks again. Finally, Ryou opens his eyes and turns to look over at his recent friend. Should he call Marik his friend? No one really knows much about him, hell; he barely knows anything about himself. There are so many mysteries surrounding him, and not enough time to understand them. Hell, he might not be able to unravel them all even if he spent his whole life trying to figure him out.

"So, you don't know?" Ryou asks. He already knows the answer, but it's too personal. Is he really ready to let someone in close?

Surely, after Bakura leaving, he should now be able to have friends and not fear for their well-beings. But everything felt strange; he felt awkward allowing someone new into his life. It had been so long since he had gotten so close with anyone. Even Yugi and the friendship crew only knew the bare shell that is Bakura Ryou.

"No, I just asked for the hell of it." Marik hisses, his lavender eyes flaring in impatience. However, Ryou isn't even paying attention. With a soft sigh, Ryou looks over at his friend.

"It was a ritual to try and make contact with those who have passed on to the afterlife. I was trying to contact my sister." Ryou murmurs, and Marik looks stunned for a moment.

"Oh, I didn't know you were into that stuff. I mean, I knew that Bakura was into it, but…wow." Marik whispers, as though looking at his friend in a new light.

"Yeah, he kind of used my deck during Battle City." Ryou whispers, though he isn't flushed like one would expect his to be. Instead, he is calm and collected, as though he isn't that shy boy everyone has stereotyped him as.

"That's a pretty impressive deck. I didn't know you dueled." Marik comments; however, after that, Ryou stops.

"It's not really an enjoyable pastime. I prefer TTRPGs. Now, can we drop the subject?" Ryou asks, his body tensing for a moment.

"Sure," Marik answers, taking a seat on the luscious grass beneath him. He drags his hand against the grass. The individual blades rub smoothly against the palm of his hand, leaving little droplets of dew on his hand.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Marik offers, patting the ground beside him. Ryou looks at the ground for a moment before taking a seat next to his best friend.

"Let's play a game," Marik offers, a small smile gracing his lips.

"What game?" Ryou asks curiously. He had always been curious about the things that went on around him and within the world. That is also why he is probably such a brainiac. When he didn't know something, he always went on a quest to figure out what it was.

"20 Questions, I ask you a question and you answer it truthfully and explain your answer. Then the person who asked the question answers it, and then we switch. In the end, we only ask twenty questions though. " Marik explains, leaving Ryou slightly confused.

"Twenty questions altogether or twenty questions a person?" Ryou asks, cocking an eyebrow to his friend.

"Twenty questions a person, because there is a lot I want to get to know about you." Marik answers, smiling at his friend.

Ryou looks at Marik, trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with him. Marik wanted to get to know _him_.

No, it's not like he is so modest as to think that no one would ever be interested in him. Apparently, he is pretty popular in school, and it's quite often when a girl would approach him and ask him about himself. But this is Marik, and Marik wanted to get to know him as a _friend_. That in itself shocked Ryou, but their recent love-making and insecurity as to where their friendship stands now doesn't help. "Sure," Ryou responds happily. He is going to get to know his friend beetter.

"Okay, me first. What's your favorite color?" Marik asks, and for a moment, Ryou is stunned. It seems like such a trivial question for them. With how old they are, what's going on, and everything surrounding their lives, it just seems as though the question is irrelevant.

"Sky blue." Ryou answers. Of course he knows his favorite color. It holds such a special place in his heart.

"And what's the story behind it?" Marik asks, looking over at Ryou.

"Well, when I was younger, my sister and I would sometimes look at the sky and stare at the clouds. I guess it sounds cheesy, but now, whenever I look at the sky, I feel as though she is still watching over me." Ryou responds. "And what about you?" Ryou asks.

"Um, I guess ocean blue. It's the first color I saw when I left Egypt. At that time, I was just so happy to be leaving, getting away from my life and everything that goes along with it. I guess it just feels wonderful to know that I am able to recreate myself and be whoever I want to be." Marik says, hope shining bright in his lavender eyes.

"Everyone always assumes that it is lavender," Ryou whispers, his eyes staring thoughtfully at Marik.

"It is any color that isn't a form of brown." Marik corrects, and Ryou nods in understanding. Marik always speaks so highly of Egypt, and he is truly proud to be who he is. However, his home country will always house the horrid memories of his childhood.

"Okay, then what's your favorite food?" Ryou asks.

Marik is still for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. "Kushari, it's a traditional Egyptian dish, and I remember trying it for the first time when Ishizu and I snuck out of the cavern." Marik explains, his eyes glossing over as he reminisces on the memories.

Ryou smiles fondly at his friend for a moment; he loves when Marik becomes like this. Because deep down, he knows that Marik has had a messed up childhood, and any happy moment that the two spend together, creating Marik's new life, is good enough for the whitenette.

"Mine are cream puffs; when I was younger, my sister and I would always go to the shop down the street and buy some. I would always buy the profiterole while she would buy a red velvet cupcake. I always had a sweet tooth." Ryou admits, and Marik smiles.

"What are cream puffs or pro-porfiteroe?" Marik asks, and Ryou chuckles at this.

"It's profiterole, and I'll take you to the bakery later so that you can try one and see if you like it." Ryou answers.

"Okay." Marik says with a nod of his head, a goofy smile forming on his face. So this is what it's like to be a normal child and grow up like everyone else. There are just so many things that he hasn't had the opportunity to try, and now, living in the real world; he is going to make an effort to try each and every one of these things that he has missed out on.

"What's your favorite season?" Marik asks, keeping to the light, feathery topics. True, sooner or later he intends to get some real information out of Ryou and find out who his friend really is. But, for the time being, he wants to keep the conversation light and airy so that the both of them can enjoy it.

"My favorite season_s_ are spring and autumn. Though, winter is a close second." Ryou responds. "I love how spring shows the beauty of life, while autumn shows the beauty in death. So many people forget that while the trees are turning all these beautiful colors, they are actually dying. I think it is beautiful how they die and are brought back to life. As for winter, it shows the stillness of death and the reality that lies within it. It is so still and cold, dark and gloomy, and in a way, that is just how death is." Ryou answers, and for a moment, Marik almost swears that the teen sounds poetic. The slight lull of his voice enticing Marik, as though pulling him into the world Ryou lives in.

"Well, in Egypt, I prefer the cool season, because then I wasn't always sweating bullets. But here, it's kind of different. The seasons are different. Instead of two, there are now four. I guess my favorite is the summer, because although it is hot, it isn't so hot that it would make me sweat." Marik answers. He then glances over at Ryou, as though waiting for a silent form of approval, but instead, he is met with a pouting Ryou.

Marik chuckles softly at this and then lightly wraps his arm around his friend's waist.

"What, is someone unable to take the heat?" Marik asks, ignoring how Ryou seems to be trying to pull away from his arm.

"Shut up!" Ryou hisses in reply, but as he looks over to his friend, there is a small smile on his face.

"Okay, what's your favorite genre of music?" Ryou asks, and at this Marik flushes. What is he supposed to say? He hasn't really heard that much music, and he really doesn't want to sound like a loser.

"I don't know; I haven't really had time to listen to was banned in the cave, and then I simply didn't have time with the death of the Pharaoh at hand. Now, well, I'm spending all my free time focusing on college." Marik responds, and Ryou laughs.

"What?" Marik asks defensively. His lavender eyes convey a look of distress. He couldn't control the environment he grew up in; it was entirely out of his hands.

"I just find it funny because I live on music. I listen to just about everything; although, my favorite might be anything from the 80's. I'm going to introduce you to music, well, besides the dubstep that you hear at parties and clubs." Ryou says with a soft smile. Marik stares at Ryou skeptically for a moment more before relaxing a bit.

"Will you sing for me?" Marik teases, and at that, Ryou flushes.

"Maybe," He answers, and Marik can't help but smile back. Ishizu had once told him that his mother was an excellent singer and dancer, and that is how she learned to dance when she eventually taught him. Maybe he could teach Ryou or learn to sing from Ryou.

"Um, what is your favorite Duel Monster's card?" Marik asks awkwardly. This game had caused so much trouble in their lives, and now he is asking what his favorite card is. It just didn't seem right; it didn't feel right.

"The Change of Heart," Ryou answers, as though he had answered the same question millions of times before. The answer is flippant, as though ignoring all the darkness that surrounds the game and all the darkness that surrounds that card for Ryou personally.

"Why?" Marik asks when Ryou does not further elaborate on his choice of card.

Ryou jumps the moment the question is asked, looking around and blinking for a moment, as if trying to realize what exactly was asked of him.

"Because, it reminds me that although I am light, I also have a dark side, a dark side that isn't the Thief King. It reminds me that I am not perfect, and that there are things deep within me that are too dark to be-" However, abruptly Ryou cuts himself off. "Nothing." He whispers finally.

"Ryou, you've already gone too far to try and dig yourself out. I promise, as your best friend, that I won't tell anything." Marik whispers, holding out his pinky like Ryou did when he first made a promise to Marik.

However, Ryou doesn't even acknowledge Marik; instead, he looks to the sky blankly and dumbly states "It's about to rain."

"Ryou," Marik whispers, his voice monotonous as he tries to repress the anger within him. "If I tell you mine, you finish yours."

"Fine," Ryou states, as though he had been paying attention to Marik the entire time.

"My favorite card is a Revival Jam combo with Jam Defender and Card of Safe Return. It was a good plan, and I had hoped that it would have worked at the time." Marik explains, and Ryou simply rolls his eyes.

"I thought it would be deep." Ryou mutters, and Marik laughs.

"It is. I wanted to kill the Pharaoh then. I no longer do, but I still don't forgive him. Hey, baby steps, right?" Marik says with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Come on, Ryou. We all have a dark side, it's up to us whether we accept it or not. I chose to accept the one inside me – not my yami, but my own. Don't you?" Marik asks, his eyes now wide and face up against Ryou's.

"I do, the question is, will other people? I mean, for all these years, everyone has seen me as a victim to Bakura. Bakura and I barely spoke, and the only times we did was when he needed something. The only times he hurt me was when I got in his way. We just traversed our own paths, and well, everything was fine. However, the thing is…I wasn't, am not, as light as everyone thinks. I love the dark and the occult. I love exploring death and what lies beyond even more than I like life. I am capable of lying; in fact, I'm an excellent liar. The entire group thinks I'm weak and innocent, but I'm not. I can be perverted, I can be mean, but I can be nice and caring too." Ryou explains, and Marik simply shrugs.

"So you're human. No need to be so melodramatic about it." Marik responds. "Plus, I would love to get to know that perverted, teenage boy within you." Marik teases, his lips right against Ryou's ear so that the pale teen can feel the humid air against his skin.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Ryou murmurs, scooting away from his friend who is now laughing.

"You are so gay!" Marik laughs, rolling around on the soft grass.

A drop of water falls from the sky, landing squarely on Marik's forehead. At this, the Egyptian stops his fooling around and looks up at the sky above him. Another drop falls from the sky, followed by another, falling faster and faster until it turns into a downpour.

"Fuck." Marik curses plainly as the two get soaked.

Ryou, on the other hand, is now the one laughing his head off, rolling around on the ground, ruining his white and blue sweater as individual strands of grass get stuck to his sweater.

"Told you it is going to rain," Ryou laughs, his emerald eyes shining brightly in the dim atmosphere.

Captivated by the glint in Ryou's eyes, Marik can't help but lean into his presence.

"Shut up," Marik pouts petulantly, noticing just how close he had gotten to Ryou in the few moments since the rain had started.

"Make me," Ryou whispers, panting lightly from all his laughing.

At that, Marik leans in and kisses Ryou on the lips, ignoring the shocked gasp from the pale teen and quickly wraps his arms around the pale teen to stop him from wiggling away.

Ryou makes a sound close to a growl before opening his mouth and biting Marik. Immediately, the Egyptian teen pulls away and glares at his friend. How could he have done something as brash as that? Bite him in the middle of a kiss? What about that first kiss they shared? What about when Ryou jumped on Marik and kissed him? Did none of that matter? Truly the boy couldn't still be stuck on his belief that he is straight.

Ryou, on the other hand, has an angry flush on his face. His lips are turned downward in a frown, and his emerald eyes are narrowed to the point where he looks like his yami. The fact that his hair is messy from rolling around on the ground and that he is sopping wet doesn't help either.

"I hate clichés," Ryou growls as he makes his way to his feet. Holding a hand out to Marik, Ryou almost looks like the soaked form of his yami as he helps the Egyptian up.

"I know you do," Marik responds, still somewhat dazed by his friend's actions.

"Then why'd you try and kiss me. A kiss in the rain is probably one of the biggest there is." Ryou explains. Marik's mouth forms a small 'o' in surprise, while Ryou facepalms.

"Sorry, I forget that you don't know many clichés." Ryou mutters, ignoring the fact that he and Marik are still holding hands in favor of resting lazily against the tree they had been residing under.

"It's okay, but you can't blame me; you were wet, panting, and flushed. I don't think you understand how much that could turn a person on." Marik snorts, letting go of Ryou's hand to stand across from his friend.

"Shut up," Ryou mutters, an embarrassed flush crossing his cheeks. He gets the urge to slap his friend for insinuating such a thing.

"We're getting drenched, you know. We should head home before things get worse." Marik muses, and Ryou nods.

"Shall I take your hand m'lady?" Marik asks as the two starts walking back.

"No." Ryou deadpans, not even bothering to humor the idea. Marik laughs at his friend's harshness as the two walk home in the pouring rain.

**Author's Notes:**

**A sweating, panting, Ryou…that sounds nice.**

**Anyways, expect chapter 3 soon.**

**Please REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:**

**So, as pointed out by my editor, this story sucks for me. However, I am still perfecting my Angstshipping before I going into a major story where there is a full plot with them as the main couple.**

"Wow! That is one hell of a rainstorm." Marik comments as he makes his way into the small apartment and takes a seat on the sofa.

Ryou sighs as he enters after Marik. Immediately stripping off his soaked sweatshirt and moving to remove his jeans.

"Marik, you should remove your outer layer of clothes. It's pretty cool in here, and I really don't want to take care of you if you're sick." Ryou states. Marik nods as he starts lifting up his shirt. For a moment he seems to hesitate, however, after that moment he quickly pulls his shirt back down and walks away.

Ryou sighs softly, already well aware of the scars on Marik's back. Is he still scared to show them to the world? Or is it just the reminder of what his early life was like?

With a shrug Ryou removes his jeans, leaving the teen in a pair of boxers and the t-shirt he had been wearing beneath his sweater. Grabbing his soaking clothes, he dumps them into the small hamper before making his way into his room.

Quickly, the whitenette grabs a pair of dark gray sweats, and a lavender long-sleeved shirt, and pulls them on. Once he does he exits the room, only to run into Marik in the hallway. Marik has changed into another long-sleeved t-shirt, this one being neon green and he too is wearing dark gray sweatpants.

"What is it?" Ryou asks, noticing the solemn look on Marik's face. Marik simply shrugs, as though dismissing the entire question, and instead continues on his way into the small living area. Ryou, on the other hand, makes his way into the bathroom and pulls out a small towel, using it to start drying his damp hair. He then makes his way back into his room and grabs both his hair dryer and a brush before joining Marik in the small living area.

"Oh yeah," Marik mutters as Ryou plops down on the small couch beside him, the British teen still towel drying his hair. Marik watches silently for a few moments, fiddling with his fingers in a bored manner. What is he supposed to do now? They are encased in this awkward silence, and really, the only way to get the remote for the television is to reach across Ryou. So, there is no obvious way out of this awkward silence.

"Would you like to continue our game? I do believe that it is my turn." Ryou mutters, at this Marik nods, thankful for the end of everlasting the silence.

"Okay, so what is or are your secret talents?" Ryou asks curiously, as he finishes with the towel and plugs in his hair dryer. Marik continues to watch the white-haired teen, trying to avoid the awkward topic of his talents.

Spending all his time with Ryou, it hadn't taken long for him to find these magical talents that he seemed to possess. Well, that and there is the one he had before he came to Japan. However, the talent is labeled secret for a reason.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Ryou encourages, a relaxed smile on his face.

Slowly, the hair dryer roars to life, and Marik watches as Ryou slowly uses it to dry his hair, the brush following the heat so that no tangles are left. Ryou continues to do this, though his eyes remain trained on Marik, waiting for the Egyptian teen to tell his secret.

"Well, I'm a pretty good dancer. My mom danced all the time before I was born. She even taught Ishizu and Rishid how to dance. However, she died during my birth, so, Ishizu was the one who taught me how to dance, and I must say, I have gotten pretty good." Marik answers, a light blush on his cheeks.

Ryou stares at Marik wide-eyed for a moment, and the embarrassment Marik felt a moment ago is slowly replaced with anger. However, before the anger can make it to an overwhelming feeling, Ryou smiles softly at his friend.

"Wow, I never would have guessed that." Ryou gasps airily. "I can't dance to save my life." Ryou chuckles, resting his head against the couch. Marik watches his friend laugh, though he is confused as to what brought on the onslaught of happiness.

Cautiously, Marik wipes his hand across Ryou's face, removing a few white strands out of the teen's eyes. Tears slowly start running down Ryou's cheeks as he continues laughing. Marik watches as Ryou continues to cry, the Egyptian confused about why the boy would be crying and laughing at the same time

After a bit longer, Ryou stops laughing. Instead, he turns and faces Marik with a content smile on his face. "Sorry, I just remembered the last time I attempted to dance. I am so horrible at it. Is there anything else you are good at?" Ryou asks, his hand lazily rubbing Marik's thigh.

"Um, yeah, uh, I'm a, um, I'm good at, um, can you stop that." Marik asks, grabbing Ryou's hand and moving it off of his thigh. "I like to write poetry." Marik whispers, and at that Ryou's eyes go wide.

"Oh yeah, I saw your poetry book before. I kind of took a peek at it-" However, at that moment Marik's eyes go wide.

"You did what?!" Marik hisses, lavender eyes ablaze in anger.

Ryou either decides to ignore it or doesn't hear him, because he continues speaking anyway. "There was one comparing something to snow, and then there was another one. They were so beautiful. I really wanted to stop, but I couldn't. You're really talented." Ryou purrs the last part, causing Marik to flush and momentarily forget about his anger.

"Your turn," Marik says, and Ryou immediately turns his hair dryer on to high and starts drying and brushing his hair again, an embarrassed flush crossing his cheeks.

Marik sighs. True, he already knows the British teen's talents, and true Marik didn't really explain his talents, but he didn't feel as though he had to, Ryou surely knew him well enough.

"Don't you already know mine?" Ryou yells through the noise of the hair dryer. Marik shrugs. Ryou has always been a secretive person, so the lack of information now is really no surprise to the Egyptian.

"No, not really," Marik yells back, sliding over and grabbing the brush and hair dryer from Ryou's hands and drying the white hair himself.

"Well, when I was younger, I would always play the piano and sing with my family." Ryou whispers softly, leaning back a bit.

"You also paint right?" Marik asks, and gets a nod of approval from Ryou. He then turns off the dryer, and instead of brushing Ryou's hair, instead gently strokes it with his fingers.

"I've always loved how soft your hair is," Marik whispers into Ryou's ear, pulling the British teen closer to him. Marik chuckles into Ryou's neck, enjoying the way the younger teen shivers in his arms.

"Marik…" Ryou whispers softly. A small pale hand wraps around Marik's own, attempting to wrench the tanned hand away from his body. After a couple of attempts Ryou finally is successful and is able to pull Marik's hand away.

"What the fuck?" Ryou hisses, looking at the Egyptian.

"I was joking!" Marik whines, using that as a cover up for molesting his friend.

"That's not a joke." Ryou hisses, sliding back in his seat. Marik blinks a bit confusedly. What was a bit of groping between friends?

"Whatever, can you help me with my hair?" Marik asks, dismissing the fight immediately. Ryou sighs exasperatedly, before grabbing the hair dryer and brush and flicking it on.

Ryou brushes Marik's hair in silence, neither of them disrupting the tense silence that has fallen over them.

"What turns you on?" Marik finally asks, and at this Ryou pauses.

"I don't really know…why do you ask?" Ryou asks, blushing profusely.

"That's part of the game." Marik answers, as Ryou finishes brushing his hair.

"I don't really know…" Ryou mutters, frowning. He looks down between his legs with a depressed sigh.

"Staring at it won't work. But, if I tell you what turns me on will it help you?" Marik asks, turning to face his friend. Ryou frowns as he rests his hands on his laps, as though trying to protect himself from the dark desires threatening to overwhelm him.

Marik gently places his hand on Ryou's lap, the British teen sitting Indian style stares at the hand, waiting for it to move. Slowly, Marik moves his hand deeper into the pool between his legs, to the place where Ryou's hand lies. He grabs the pale hand carefully, only to reveal an arousal already there.

Marik chuckles at this 'coincidence' sliding further so that he is now sitting in Ryou's lap. Ryou blushes even more as he feels Marik's hardness against his own.

"My answer is you, what is yours?" Marik asks, sitting back in his seat and pulling Ryou back onto his lap.

Ryou doesn't answer, instead, he leans against Marik and starts crying. His cries are silent, as though he can no longer speak.

"My dad will hate me," Ryou whispers; however, Marik's focus is now more so soothing the boy.

A careful tanned hand slips beneath the teen's trousers and underwear. The hand then finds the boy's cock, causing Ryou to perk up.

Ryou and Marik stare at each other for a moment, before Ryou gives a silent nod and Marik's hand goes to work. The hand starts my wrapping itself around Ryou and squeezing him slightly, it then slowly moves back and forth at a tantalizingly slow pace.

Ryou moans softly into Marik's neck, wrapping his hands tightly around Marik's back. Marik chuckles as he continues pumping Ryou's cock, slowly moving faster and faster to the point in which that Ryou is clawing Marik's scalp and his teeth are digging into the Egyptian's neck, causing blood to spew forth.

Marik continues a bit longer before Ryou tears his mouth away from the Egyptian's neck and gives on final moan before cumming messily into his pants.

Marik chuckles softly as he pulls out his and licks the cum off of it. "You taste amazing," Marik whispers, wrapping his arms around Ryou as the British teen slowly falls asleep.

"Why can't you just accept your sexuality? I like you and you like me…" Marik mutters, ignoring the fact that Ryou had already fallen asleep.

~.~

The rest of the weekend had been passed in an awkward silence. When Ryou had woken up in Marik's arms he had been surprised. Then, when he felt the mess in his pants, and linked it with the smirk and dirty look Marik kept giving him, the pale teen had gone off on his friend. He had cursed his friend out and thrown a hissy fit over the entire situation.

Marik had simply watched his friend, deciding whether or not he should buy pizza for the both of them.

It had turned out, that he bought pizza as an apology to Ryou. The white-haired teen had simply sat there and glared at him, while munching on his piece of vegetarian pizza.

~.~

"Okay class, so as you know, we are moving on to logotherapy." The teacher starts, looking around at his class. "So, in order to do that, we are going to look at a book that gives you a situation and a psychological view on it. From there we will further delve into logotherapy." The teacher explains, pulling a book from his back pocket and showing it to the class.

"_Man's Search for Meaning _by Viktor E. Frankl." The teacher says, holding the book up for the class to see.

There was silence as the students copied down the name of the book and the author. They would have to retrieve the book after school and read the prescript. They needed to get a feel for the book, for the part of psychology.

The bell rings signaling the end of the class. Students walk blandly towards the door, the entire day feeling uneventful to our two teenagers.

"God, another book. I thought we would be analyzing people's minds by now. Not just reading books about people's minds." Marik complains exiting the classroom. Ryou walks silently beside his friend, his thoughts nowhere near the subject of psychology.

"Well at least you won't be working the bookshop when the rush of students comes." Ryou whines, a small smile on his face. Marik looks at his best friend for a moment then sighs.

"Whatever, don't we have literature now?" Marik asks, not even bothering to show pity for his friend. Ryou nods and turns off in the direction of next said class. Marik jogs in order to keep up with the teen.

**Author's Notes:**

**So, what do you guys think of this chapter. You should expect this story to be finished pretty soon, either three chapters left to post, and only one of those to be written.**


	4. Chapter 4

"He's coming tomorrow Marik. I don't know what to do! I'm doing terrible in psychology! He's going to make me drop art and music!" Ryou whines, moving quickly about the small bookshop. The white-haired hikari is the only person currently working the miniature bookshop.

The teen is bustling around the shop, propping the books up and making sure nothing had been pillaged. When the waves of students came, the boy repeatedly pointed to the exact same section of the bookstore. Eventually, he just brought the books to the front and with the insistence of Marik, hitched the prices up a bit and pocketed the extra. After all, no one would ever know.

"I can start tutoring you." Marik offers, looking up briefly from his book to smile at his friend.

"Thanks, I'll probably have to take you up on that offer." Ryou responds with a small smile of his own. He finishes fixing the books before making his way back to the front of the store. He takes a seat on the stool behind the door, crossing his arms on the counter, before burying his head in said arms.

"So, next question from our game. It is your turn." Marik offers, trying to distract Ryou from his worry for a moment.

"Um…why'd you major in psychology?" Ryou asks, not removing his head from his arms.

"Oh, me…I guess it is because what happened with my father abusing me, and me creating my yami and all that shit. I guess I just want to help others and make sure that they never have to go through all that stuff." Marik responds, moving his hand onto Ryou's.

"What about you?" Marik asks, gently rubbing circles into his friend's hand.

"I was forced into it. My father doesn't want me to be some dead-end artist or musician." Ryou answers. The room falls silent for a moment before Marik continues.

"Do you like it?" Marik interrogates. Ryou shrugs, finally lifting his head so that only his chin is resting against his arms.

"I don't know." Ryou answers, and Marik scrutinizes his unsatisfactory answer.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings, signaling another customer. However, this patron isn't just any ol' stranger. This customer is a small teen with tri-colored hair and large amethyst eyes. The bell dings again, and a tall brunette with shoulder length brown hair and azure eyes enters the shop.

"Hey Bakura, hey Marik!" Yugi calls out as he makes his way over to the counter.

"Hi guys! Guess what!" Anzu squeals with a small smile on her face.

Ryou shrugs and looks over to Marik for an answer, not really prepared to leave his brooding state. He is still scared to death over his father coming home to find his only remaining child is a failure.

"What?" Marik asks good-naturedly, his eyes never once leaving Ryou's.

"I came back here because I've been assigned to dance back up in a music video!" The girl exclaims, jumping up in the air.

"That's great." Marik says, his hand now wrapping around Ryou's limp, pale one.

"I know! I can't wait! So, anyways, are you guys going to Yugi's party?" Anzu asks, and both teens shrug.

"Oh, okay." Anzu whispers disappointedly.

"Come on, Anzu, it's okay. A maybe might be a yes! Hopefully you guys can make it!" Yugi calls back as he makes his way to the door. The two exit the store, leaving the hikari duo in silence.

"I need to start sweeping." Ryou finally says, getting off of the stool and grabbing the broom. The hikari then starts sweeping the room, keeping his head down and not even bothering to try and make conversation.

Ryou continues sweeping until tanned arms wrap around his waist, pulling him back against a solid chest. The white-haired teen continues sweeping, ignoring his blush in order to continue his work.

Marik starts licking, kissing, and nipping at Ryou's neck, completely stopping the teen from cleaning. The hairs on the back of Ryou's neck perk up and the teen stands rigidly from the contact.

"You know, there's more than sex in a relationship." Ryou mutters his eyes fixed ahead of him.

"Yes but-. Wait, are you saying that we are in a relationship?" Marik asks, spinning Ryou around in his arms so that the two are facing each other. Lilac eyes scan emerald ones, looking for any sense of doubt, anything off about the teen before him.

Ryou lets out a heavy breath as his eyes turn downcast. "I don't know." Ryou responds, taking a step out of Marik's grasp. "I want to be with you, I just- we just can't." Ryou mutters.

"Shh..." Marik hushes, and as though falling into all of Ryou's hatred of clichés, leans in and places a small kiss on the pale teenager's lips. Ryou stands stiff until Marik takes a step forward, deepening the kiss. Reluctantly, Ryou starts kissing back, his mouth moving slowly against Marik's more than eager one.

Eventually, the two pull away from each other, Marik openly gasping for air and Ryou keeping his eyes downcast.

"Ryou, let me take you out. I'll show you why it's good to be gay. Especially for you," Marik teases with a wink. Ryou simply walks towards the back of the shop resolutely returning to his task of sweeping.

"Sure." Ryou calls back, the brushing picking up in speed and volume as though the teen is excited.

"Great. So dinner tonight it is. I'll go get us some clothing." Marik almost squeals, speeding out of the small shop. Ryou sighs as he watches his friend go.

"Hopefully, after this, he will never ask me out again." Ryou murmurs to himself as he continues working.

~.~

"Wow, this is one of my better outfits. Where are we going?" Ryou asks as his thumb glides over the collar of his white jacket. His bright green shirt matches his eyes. His jeans are gray and skinny, and he wears his comfy, white tennis shoes.

"I just wanted you to look nice. I have one chance to show you off, don't I?" Marik asks, and Ryou frowns. Marik is already catching onto his plan.

"Yeah," Ryou mutters, looking Marik up and down. The Egyptian teen is wearing a purple polo shirt, with black, straight jeans. Beneath his jeans, he wears black shoes.

"Please, Ryou; I know you don't want to do this. But if you're really that uncomfortable, we can go out as friends instead." Marik compromises, taking a step towards Ryou.

"It's fine, let's go…" Ryou says, holding his hand out.

For a moment, Marik simply stares at the hand, confused by the unfamiliar gesture. Eventually, Ryou steps forward and grabs Marik's hand, leading him to the door while simultaneously pulling out his key to lock the door.

"So, where to, good mister?" Ryou asks, holding Marik's arm close to his chest.

"I was thinking maybe that new sushi place down the block." Marik says, pulling out the keys to his motorcycle.

"Shit, can't we just walk?" Ryou asks, gripping Marik's hand tighter.

"Why?" Marik asks, missing the fear in Ryou's eyes.

"Fine, fine…" Ryou obliges, taking a seat behind Marik as the two of them get onto the motorcycle.

"Hold on." Marik says as Ryou grips the Egyptian's waist. He rests his head against Marik's back and takes a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut in dread.

The sound of the engine revving up fills the street, followed by the sounds of city life flying by. Ryou continues to keep his eyes shut as the wind whips at his hair and his body, leaving a dramatic flair of white in his wake.

"Ryou, we're here." Marik whispers, taking notice of Ryou's petrified state. Marik sighs as he tries to get Ryou to release his grip. Marik sighs as he fails to pull Ryou's hands away from him. The boy has formed an iron grip around his waist, and even using all his might, he can't get the boy to let go.

"Come on, Ryou. You can let go now. Come on." Marik goads. Eventually, Ryou lets go and looks up at Marik, fear still evident in his eyes. "Ryou, are you okay?" Marik asks, noticing how his friend's entire demeanor has changed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…" Ryou mutters, sitting up a bit. The green pallor of Ryou's skin tells him otherwise, and he wraps his arm in apology around the teen.

"Are you sure? You look a little green." Marik announces and Ryou sighs, slinging his leg over the motorcycle to get off.

"Yeah, now come on, there's food to be eaten." Ryou says, making his way into the restaurant. Marik smirks and follows behind his date, dismissing the situation.

~.~

"What would you like to drink?" The waiter asks, looking at each of the boys. Ryou keeps his head down, searching the menu before him for a beverage.

"Sprite," Marik deadpans, keeping his eyes locked on Ryou's form.

"Anou…" Ryou mutters, but doesn't further elaborate on what he wants.

The waiter, getting slightly annoyed, starts tapping his pen on his pad, waiting for the boy to choose his drink.

"Choose whatever, it's my treat." Marik says with a smirk, and Ryou blushes.

"Mango daiquiri," Ryou finally responds with a small smile at the waiter. He quickly scribbles the order down, then turns back to Marik.

"Any appetizers?" He asks.

"No, we'll be fine." Marik answers with a dismissive wave. The waiter nods before turning and leaving the table.

"So, do you want to continue our game? We've each asked four questions so far," Marik states. Ryou nods with a small smirk, and waits patiently for Marik to ask the next question.

"What are your biggest fears?" Marik asks, leaning in a bit and staring the British teen in his eyes.

"That is none of your business." Ryou retorts quickly, voice taking on a defensive tone.

"Sorry…" Marik mutters, looking Ryou up and down. He had gotten a few private things from his head, but he wasn't going to be able to get his fears out of him that easily.

Ryou, on the other hand, had to resist the urge to laugh. His plan is just going along way to smoothly. The thought that Marik may never like him as anything more than a friend will quickly become reality.

"Actually, I think I am hungry enough for an appetizer." Ryou mutters, thumbing through the pages of his menu. Marik nods, this time giving Ryou a skeptical look. He knows his friend, abd although there are times that Ryou pigs out, he more often eats like a bird, eating small portions, but eating often.

"Um, okay then…" Marik mumbles as the waiter returns with their drinks. Ryou looks slightly surprised upon seeing the large daiquiri, and blushes heavily turning his head away from the two other men. Marik chuckles at just how innocent the other young man is.

"We would like am appetizer," Marik starts, breaking the silence. The waiter nods and pulls out his notepad looking between the two men.

"And what appetizer would that be?" The waiter asks, and Marik looks over to Ryou, waiting for him to choose an appetizer.

"Eh…never mind. I'm not that hungry." Ryou murmurs, looking up at the waiter with large, emerald eyes. Marik blushes in embarrassment as he waves the man away and then turns his attention back to Ryou.

"So, what are you going to eat?" Marik asks conversationally.

"Steak," Ryou answers, not bothering to look up from his menu. Had he bothered to, he would have seen the look of utter horror on Marik's face, but then again, that is the effect he is going for.

"What about you?" Ryou asks with an innocent tilt of his head. Marik continues to stare at the hikari before him for a moment, wondering how he could ask for something like steak at a sushi restaurant.

"I was going to do the tri-sushi combo." Marik answers finally with a small smile and Ryou simply shrugs.

"I am not overly fond of raw fish." Ryou explains. At that statement, Marik's mouth drops open.

"Then why did you agree to come here?" Marik asks softly, trying to understand his date.

"So that you'd get off my back," Ryou retorts calmly. Marik freezes, perplexed by Ryou's change in demeanor.

~.~

"What the fuck was that?" Marik hisses, storming into the shared apartment behind a calm Ryou. To say that this night had been a mess would be a true understatement.

Not only had Ryou changed his order four times, he had also spilled his meal and drink on the waiter. Moreover, he coughed up his food and demanded that the chef 'return to fourth grade to learn how to cook rice.' He had kicked Marik numerous times and cursed him out. Told him that they would never be together and then cursed him out again in front of a group of children. In fact, the two had been kicked out of the restaurant.

Ryou didn't respond to Marik's question: instead, he heads straight to his room and locks the door behind him.

Marik sighs, walking straight to his room and locking the door behind him.

Once inside his room, Marik pulls out his phone and calls Rishid.

The phone rings only once before a deep "Hello" is heard from the other phone.

"Hey, Rishid…I was wondering if we could meet up somewhere. I need some advice." Marik whispers into the phone.

Rishid is silent on the other line for a moment , processing all the hidden emotions in his brother's voice. "Marik, are you okay?" He inquires softly, picking up on the pain in Marik's voice.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. So, when can we meet up?" Marik asks, his voice regaining some of its usual confidence.

"I won't be back until Wednesday at the earliest." Rishid replies, and Marik nods, ignoring the fact that no one can see him.

"I'll see you then." Marik responds before abruptly hanging up. He had never been one to be overly formal.

**Author's Notes:**

**What do you guys think? Whose side are you on? How many people expected this?**

**Please review…I need inspiration to write you guys' last chapter. Which is chapter 6…chapter 5 should be out next week.**

**Sorry for the late chapter...I had a story removed...and ya know what happens when that takes place.**


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